2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs News And Notes

PITTSBURGH 5, NY ISLANDERS 4 (OT); PIT leads 2-1 The Islanders scored two third-period goals to force overtime, but Chris Kunitz thwarted their comeback with a power-play goal 8:44 into the extra session, his second tally of the game.

OTTAWA 6, MONTREAL 1; OTT leads 2-1
Late-season call-up Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored three times, including the game-winner, to become the youngest player in Senators history with a multi-goal playoff game (20 years, 5 months).

SAN JOSE 5, VANCOUVER 2; SJ leads 3-0
Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture each scored twice to put the Canucks on the brink of elimination.

EXTRA EFFORT AWAY FROM HOME
The Penguins have won six straight road overtime games in the postseason dating to 2001. Only three other teams in NHL history have recorded six or more consecutive victories in road overtime games in the Stanley Cup
Playoffs: the Canadiens (nine, from 1993 to 1998), Islanders (eight, from
1977 to 1981) and Hurricanes (six, from 2002 to 2006). (Elias Sports
Bureau)

POWER SURGE
The Penguins went 3-for-5 on the power play in Sunday’s win, including two goals in 19 seconds during the first period, to improve their success rate with the man advantage this postseason to 46.2% (6-for-13). Pittsburgh has scored at least one power-play goal in 10 of its last 11 games (including the regular season) and has netted a power-play marker in eight straight playoff games dating to last year (15-for-39, 38.5%).

YOUTH IS SERVED
Ottawa rookie Jean-Gabriel Pageau, 20, is the fifth player in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to record a playoff hat trick before his 21st birthday, joining Wayne Gretzky (who had two postseason hat tricks at age
20 in 1981), Peter Zezel (age 20 in 1986), Patrick Kane (age 20 in 2009) and Sean Couturier (age 19 in 2012). (Elias Sports Bureau)

A WHOLE NEW SEASON
Minnesota goaltender Josh Harding, who was called into action prior to Game
1 when Niklas Backstrom suffered a pre-game injury, only appeared in five games during the regular season, compiling a 3.24 goals-against average and .863 save percentage. In three playoff games, he has a 2.41 goals-against average and .928 save percentage.

GAD-ZUCKS
Minnesota forward Jason Zucker is the second rookie to notch his first career playoff goal with an overtime tally this year (Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist did that in Game 2 against Anaheim). That matches the number of rookies who pulled off the feat over the previous seven playoff years combined – Colorado’s Ryan O’Reilly in 2010 and San Jose’s Benn Ferriero in 2011. (Elias Sports Bureau)

60 IS NOT ENOUGH
Nine of Chicago’s last 11 postseason games have required overtime – they are 4-5 in those contests.

Overall, there have been seven overtime games in the first 22 games (31.8%) of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last year, a record 16 opening-round games (33.3%) went past regulation.

GUESS WHO’S BACK
Pittsburgh forward Sidney Crosby, who collected three assists Sunday, has five points (2-3—5) in two playoff games after missing the final 12 contests of the regular season and opening game of the series. Crosby has registered three or more points in a playoff game eight times during his career and five of those performances have come on the road. In total, he has 19-26—45 in 35 career road postseason games.

HOME FUTILITY
The Islanders have lost seven straight playoff games at Nassau Coliseum, tying the NHL record for consecutive home losses in the postseason. The other teams that share that record are the Maple Leafs (1952-56), Blackhawks (1975-79), Canucks (1996-2003) and Senators (2007-12). (Elias Sports Bureau)

LUCKY TEETH
For the third straight game, the difference-maker in the Senators-Canadiens series lost a tooth. Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson lost a tooth off a hard shot to his helmet in Game 1, but made 48 saves for the victory.
Montreal netminder Carey Price lost a pair in a collision in Game 2, but stopped 29 pucks for the win. And Ottawa forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau lost a tooth when scoring the first of his three goals in Game 3. All three players were named first star of the game when losing their respective teeth.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/CraigAnderson41/status/331235029323763712″]
EARLY LEADERS
San Jose forward Logan Couture recorded four points (2-2—4) Sunday, jumping to the top of the NHL leaderboard in postseason scoring (3-3—6). He is trailed by teammate Joe Pavelski (2-4—6) and Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin (1-5—6). Couture’s three goals are tied with teammate Patrick Marleau, Pittsburgh forward Pascal Dupuis and Ottawa forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau for the League lead.

FROM THE TRACK
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/MarioAndretti/status/331172309115207681″]

LOOSE PUCKS
San Jose forwards Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau scored nine seconds apart in the third period, one second off the franchise record for fastest two playoff goals . . . NY Islanders forward Kyle Okposo kept the play onside and then scored on a breakaway for his second goal in as many games . . . Pittsburgh defenseman Douglas Murray scored his third career playoff goal in his 60th postseason game. He has seven goals in 465 career regular-season contests . . . NY Islanders forward John Tavares scored the game-tying goal, his first career postseason tally . . . The Canadiens and Senators combined for 236 penalty minutes, the most in a playoff game since April 12, 1991 . . . Washington forward Mike Ribeiro was mic’d up when he assisted on Mike Green’s overtime winner in Game 2 . . . The Department of Player Safety announced that Detroit forward Justin Abdelkader has been suspended for two games for charging Anaheim defenseman Toni Lydman.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Slater Koekkoek from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League today, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced. Koekkoek, 21, has skated in 66 ga